Occasion.
Audience.
Purpose.
Subject.
Tone.
I tapped my pencil against the paper, my thoughts too scattered to care about learning. I pulled out my journal, flipping the pages until I saw theTotally-not-real relationship rules. My eyes raked over the list until I got stuck on rule number three.
Clarke does all of Elliot’s homework, no questions asked
It felt unfair that he did most of his own work when I still held him captive in this faux relationship. He didn’t need me anymore. So, why was he staying?
“Pssst!” Elliot whispered not-so-quietly. “You readin’ porn?”
I glared at him as I closed my journal and held it up for him to see. Tapping the cover, I asked, “Does this answer your question?”
He shrugged.
Mrs. Hawthorne instructed everyone to work on their essays in relation to the prominent women’s rights speech,Ain’t I A Woman,by Sojourner Truth. Her heels clicked steadily as she walked back over to her desk and sat down.
The class began talking quietly among themselves.
Metal scraped against the ceramic tiles as Elliot awkwardly dragged his chair closer to mine.
Mrs. Hawthorne’s eyes darkened with irritation as she peered at us peaking over the bridge of her glasses.
“Do you ever go anywhere without that thing?” he asked, nodding toward my journal.
“I have everything in here.”
“Like what?”
“Book ratings, my favorite quotes, Prom stuff, fake dating rules—”
“Ah, the most important one.”
“You’re doing really good, by the way,” I acknowledged with my head lowered. “At the whole school thing.”
“Only because of you.”
“Stop doing that.”
“Doing what?”
“Refusing to take credit for your grades.”
“I’m not saying I haven’t been busting my ass ‘cause I have, but without your help, I’d be stuck watching shitty YouTube videos created by some dimwit teacher who only has half as many brain cells as you.”
A sad smile tugged at my lips. “Thanks, Elliot.”
His face contorted as he stared at me. Grabbing the sides of my chair, he twisted it, so that we were looking straight at each other. His eyes locked onto mine, sparkling with wonder.
“What’s going on in that head of yours?”
“You don’t need me anymore. So, this whole relationship thing…you don’t have t—”
